An Interview with Award-Winning Author Laura Frost
Where we explore her career, writing suspense, marketing, and what authors should and shouldn’t be doing
Laura Frost is a suspense author who has earned the Literary Titan’s Book Award and the International Impact Book Awards for her novel, Seeking Sasha.
So, I thought it would be wonderful to hear from her a little about herself in addition to what insights she has on marketing for authors.
What made you choose a career as an author?
It would probably be more accurate to say that authoring chose me. Although I have been dabbling in writing for my entire life and I often considered writing a novel, it was a traumatic experience that catapulted me into writing seriously. As a way for me to navigate the thoughts and emotions that were overwhelming me, I wrote about my experience through the eyes of a fictional woman. Once I started writing her story, I could not stop, and after five months of intense writing, I had a 228,000-word novel. It was extremely therapeutic, and writing my first novel changed me in many ways. I fell in love with novel writing, and I immediately dove into penning the next idea that was begging to be written. That idea is my debut novel, Seeking Sasha.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My background is in wildlife biology and ecology, and I spent years working in the field, waking before the birds were up. I conducted bird point counts, nest surveys, and vegetation surveys. I chased endangered piping plovers across a beach, measured sap flow dynamics in the middle of the boreal forest, and identified various types of moss. I also spent a few years at a botanic garden, first as a researcher, then as the Tour Director, Friends of the Garden Membership Coordinator, and Education Assistant.
Life shifted, as it does, and I left my biology days behind me to become a stay-at-home mom. My family moved around a lot due to my husband’s career, and we made temporary homes just outside Banff National Park, Jasper National Park, in a tiny northern farming community, in the middle of the grasslands, and in large cities. While in those communities, I picked up odd jobs such as substitute teacher, legal assistant, first aid instructor, and hotel administrative assistant. Writing fell into my lap and it has become the perfect companion career to my busy lifestyle and ever-changing backdrop.
When not writing, I spend time in my backyard forest, watching birds and tapping maple trees for syrup. I love to play board games, run, hike, and I take tap dancing lessons. One of my favorite pastimes is to bake, including creating a randomly selected pie from my pie book every month. To date, I have made close to 200 unique pies. I love to travel with my husband and kids, finding adventures across the globe, and seeking inspiration for future writing projects.
What drew you to write in the suspense genre?
I did not start out with a plan to write suspense, but that is the genre that I found myself returning to. In life, I’ve always searched for challenges. If a task was too easy, I found a way to step up the intensity to make it more difficult, and therefore more fulfilling. When we lived in the mountains, rather than driving to town to visit the weekly fruit truck, I packed my two toddlers in our hiking stroller, strapped my baby to my chest, and hiked down the mountain to buy our fresh fruit, then hiked back up after a stop at the playground. The memories we made are so much better than if we just drove.
As pushing the limits is a core trait of mine, my characters need to be challenged as well, so I never let them take the easy way out. As soon as they start to find resolution in their current challenge, I put up a roadblock and force them to navigate around it. Herein lies the suspense.
As an author, what would you advise other authors to do in regard to marketing themselves and their books?
Engaging with other readers has been hugely beneficial in getting the word out about my novel and short story publications. On social media, this means interacting with others through commenting on posts, and answering and asking questions. Simply posting about your book is not enough.
Outside of social media, it means finding your readers at libraries, bookstores, conventions, farmers markets, and anywhere else you can dream of discovering people who will connect with your story. I’ve had great success in connecting with readers from all walks of life by doing bookstore signings. It’s a grind to call a big list of bookstores, but it’s worth it to have the opportunity to showcase your book where engaged readers show up.
Whether online or in person, always being positive and kind goes far. Networking is so important as you never know where a connection may lead. The little seeds you sprinkle around can grow and flourish into something amazing without you even realizing.
What do you believe authors should be doing more of? And what do you think authors should be doing less of?
Authors should be focusing more on what they can control. In this industry, there is so much out of our control, and it can be aggravating. Set realistic goals that you can achieve. A goal of signing a publishing deal is not a good goal, because although there is a lot an author can do to influence this happening, it is ultimately out of their control. Even when things feel stalled, continually challenging yourself and achieving goals within your control will grow you massively as an author.
Authors should throw in the towel less often. I hear so many stories of writers who bounce from project to project, writing the next shiny idea that catches their attention, but they never end up finishing anything. Committing to finishing a piece takes perseverance, but it is worth it to have a completed story that can be molded to a finished piece. As well, those writers who aspire to be traditionally published often quit the querying process much too soon. Querying is hard. It takes a lot of work, and the rejections can be extremely disheartening, but I have heard so many stories of writers who get their acceptance after hundreds of rejections. Too many writers give up after fifty queries, thinking that no one will want their story. At fifty queries, you are only getting started.
Any events, updates, or projects coming up you would like to talk about?
I’m excited to announce that Seeking Sasha has been awarded the Literary Titan Book Award as well as the International Impact Book Award. I’ll be attending the International Impact Awards Gala this July in Phoenix, and I’m so excited! Before I jet off to Arizona, I have a few library and bookstore events lined up. All details regarding where I’ll be and when can be found under the “Book Signings” tab on my website.